Love is not a game (Hunger Games Fan Fiction)

Chapter 25

Author's Note: 

I'm sorry I was putting off writing this chapter for so long, I admit that I didn't want these events to unfold... The song of this chapter is 'Asleep' by Emily Browning and it kind of mixes around a bit in this chapter so I hope it doesn't get too confusing. I'll post the video on the side. 

Chapter 25: 

Cato's POV: 

"Clove!" I yell as I swipe at the trees that continuously jump out at me as I run past, only slowing me down in the process. I feel hot tears pour down my face as soon as I am greeted by her strangled cries for help. "I'm coming Clove, don't worry!" I yelled, jumping over yet another tree that has fallen on the ground. 

I can only desperately wish that I can reach her in time, that I can save her. I should've been taking better care of her; if I did, she wouldn't have run off like that. I know why she did run though; she knew what was in that bag.  

Medicine. 

It is very obvious that I am slowly dying; the tracker jacker stings were too much for me to handle. She wanted to save me, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process. If she dies because of me, I will never forgive myself.  

"Cato, please help me!" Her voice pleads, causing desperation to surge through my veins. I know that my time is running out and I have to reach her quickly. I urge my legs to move even faster through the forest as I head in the direction of Clove's cries. Ignoring the many cuts that are now seeping blood, I set my vision straight ahead and run as quickly as I can. 

"Cato, he has a rock!" Her voice slowly fades to silence, causing my heart to thump louder and faster than before. I perk my ears up, desperately searching for a source of sound. Silence. 

Why is there no noise? That's when I hear it; a quiet scream in the distance. The scream echoes through my ears, taunting me and driving me to the point of insanity.  

Clove. That was Clove's scream. 

My brain doesn't register anything. It doesn't register my feet suddenly pounding against the hard dirt of the ground, or even the many cuts that appear all over my body. I don't even care about my safety right now, all I care about is Clove. I have to know that she's okay; I have to know that she will survive. We were going to win the Games together, it was a possibility.  

Eventually, I see a bloody figure on the ground, struggling to breathe as blood pours out of the open cuts that now coat their body. I instantly recognise the dark brown hair and freckly skin. 

The figure is Clove. 

"Clove!" I yell, sprinting as fast as I have ever run before towards her small body. I collapse onto the floor beside her, holding back the hot tears that threaten to spill. It's hard to look at her, it really is. She looks helpless and weak, a side of Clove that I've never seen before. She had always been strong and independent in both appearance and personality. Now, her bloody and bruised figure gazes up at me weakly and her small, shaky hands reach up to cup my face. 

"Cato, is that you?" She asks weakly, stroking my face slightly. I can feel her weakening with every second that passes. 

"Yes, Clove, I'm here. You aren't leaving me, okay? You're going to be fine." I say soothingly, allowing pools of tears to escape from my eyes, lightly hitting her face before falling to the ground. She attempts to shake her head, managing to smile weakly, though wincing in pain slightly. 

"I have to go, Cato. I can't stay here, there's nothing for me." She tells me softly, gazing up at the sky. I let out a strangled cry, squeezing Clove's hand lightly as my figure shakes from tears. 

"No, Clove! You can't leave me, you just can't! Please stay with me," I say, choking slightly from the fresh tears that spill from my eyes, "I l-love you. You can't just leave me alone." She gasps slightly, allowing a tear to freely fall from her face.  

"I can't stay here Cato, not even if I wanted to." She says quietly, not meeting my gaze. 

"Why not?" I ask, leaning over her weak body and gazing into her eyes. She lets out a small cry, looking away from me and to the trees beside us. "Why can't you just stay with me?" 

She stays silent for a few seconds, still staring at the trees, before turning to face me with a sad expression covering her face. "Because I want to go, Cato. I can't stand to stay here any longer, I don't have a purpose of staying here any longer. There's nothing for me back home." A small tear escapes her eye as she says this and I watch as it slowly caresses her face, falling to the floor almost immediately. 

"Please Clove, don't go to sleep," I beg as her eyes start to flutter closed and her body goes still. I can still see her struggle to breathe, letting me know that she hasn't gone. 

Yet. 

"Can you sing to me, Cato?" Her voice breaks through the long silence, sounding weaker than it has seconds before. I mumble a small 'yes', causing her to smile slightly and visibly relax some. 

A song that my mother used to sing to me when I had trouble sleeping suddenly came to mind and I instantly began to sing it slowly, allowing tears to fall down my face. 

"Sing me to sleep," I start, closing my eyes and resting my hand on Clove's cheek, caressing it slightly as I continue to sing. 

"Sing me to sleep, I'm tired and I want to go to bed." 

Clove reaches for my hand, holding it to her face as I blink back more tears. I shakily continue singing, watching Clove's face carefully. 

"Sing me to sleep, sing me to sleep and then leave me alone," I sing softly, letting out a loud sob when her hand weakens from mine. I watch as her breathing gradually stops and her grip on my hand weakens, before breaking out into tears. I breathe deeply and rest my hand under the crook of her neck and the other underneath her legs, lifting her into my arms in the process.  

I walk slowly towards the Cornucopia table where the backpacks for the tributes once lay, slowly setting Clove down on the cold surface. I stand and watch her peaceful face before I find myself singing once again.  

"Don't try to wake me in the morning 'cause I will be gone," I sing, realising that the song related to my situation. I guess when I was little, I actually thought the song was about sleeping, not death. 

"Don't feel bad for me, I want you to know," I picture Clove singing to me, wearing that big smile of hers on her face. I wonder where she is now; is there an afterlife? 

"Deep in the cell of my heart, I will feel so glad to go," She sings in an angelic voice, before fading away from my vision. I sing the entire song, before collapsing onto the ground with the final line. 

"Bye..." I sing slowly, before turning and running into the forest as I erupt into tears.